Chapter Fifty-Five: Ten Bowls, Astonishing Everyone

Whether in the private dining rooms or the spacious main hall, every single diner was startled into a sudden, sharp intake of breath by Wang Xingzhai’s abrupt action.

Wang Xingzhai was a man who could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye. He would never compromise his standards or feign praise for Bianyifang simply to save face for Shen Wanshan. Without genuine, exceptional culinary mastery on display, Wang Xingzhai would never have lost his composure in such a manner.

The dish Shen Wanshan had picked up with his chopsticks was assorted tofu—the most ordinary of ingredients, yet precisely because of its simplicity, far more complex to elevate.

As he chewed carefully and savored the flavors, a myriad of expressions flickered across Shen Wanshan’s face. "This is, without a doubt, the most delicious tofu I have ever tasted in my entire life."

Only then did the surrounding diners snap back to their senses. They scrambled to pick up their chopsticks, terrified of lagging behind the others.

"This is breathtaking—truly breathtaking!"
"Compared to this, what I used to eat was nothing more than dragon liver and phoenix marrow."
"The cold appetizers already left an endless, lingering fragrance on the palate; wouldn't these hot dishes be nothing short of divine ambrosia?"

Behind the counter, Qi Santai, who had been sitting on pins and needles with a fluttering heart, finally wore a look of radiant excitement. He shouted aloud, "Serve the main courses!"

The waiters instantly sprang into bustling activity.
The diners, one after another, picked up their teacups to cleanse their palates.

Exquisite dishes were brought to the tables one by one, totaling ten in all:
Three braised, three steamed, three stir-fried and tossed in sauce, and one double-boiled soup.

The hot dishes wafted with rich, tantalizing aromas, far surpassing the cold appetizers.
Lifting a morsel of food to the mouth released an immediate explosion of exquisite fragrance that filled the entire oral cavity.
Taking another sip of the soup felt quite simply like tasting the ultimate delicacy of the mortal realm.

Truly good food leaves no room for conversation while it is being consumed.
Everyone held their bowls and chopsticks, burying their heads to feast with total devotion and voracious enthusiasm.
To utter even a single extra word meant eating one less mouthful.
Where was there any spare time to lavish praise upon the chef?
Where was there any leisure to discuss life and ideals with the master of the kitchen?

People only made an effort to talk endlessly when the food was mediocre.
When something was too salty, they would say it paired well with rice; when it was too sour, they would claim it stimulated the appetite; when it was too spicy, they would praise its complex flavor profile; and when it was bitter, they would declare it cooling to the body.
They would take merely a single bite, refuse to touch their chopsticks again, and pretend to be satisfied while casually remarking, "Ah, this tastes just like home," before calling it a day.

Clearly, the patrons of Bianyifang fell entirely into the former category.
Immersed completely in the realm of supreme deliciousness, they were unable to extricate themselves.

Seeing this, Ye Xiu smiled faintly.
This brand-new menu consisted of dishes he had meticulously selected from the Lu cuisine of his past life. As the foremost of the traditional eight culinary traditions, it possessed a profound and lengthy history.

It synthesized the cooking techniques of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River—steaming, boiling, roasting, brewing, pan-frying, stir-frying, slow-simmering, and more—thus laying the foundational framework of Chinese gastronomy. It emphasized superior raw material quality, using salt to enhance natural freshness and rich broths to amplify it further. Seasoning was strictly pursued with a pure, savory balance that highlighted the original flavors of the ingredients while steadfastly aligning with principles of health and nourishment.

Coupled with Ye Xiu’s secret blend of savory seasoning powder, it gave every single guest a deeply stirring and thoroughly gratifying culinary extravaganza.

Although every dish was a style they had eaten countless times before, a closer inspection revealed that each one had undergone subtle refinements. The flavors were pure, the textures exceptional, and a single sniff was enough to make one remember them for a lifetime.

When paired with the enchanting sight of Dong Ruoshi playing her zither, even the Emperor himself could not compare to this level of bliss!

By now, everyone understood: the couplet hanging at the entrance of the restaurant was by no means an empty boast by the proprietor. They genuinely possessed the capability to back it up.

"In my view, the lines 'We would drain the Eastern Sea to use as a goblet, and brew the Yangtze River to serve as sweet wine' are actually far too modest."
"I have traveled extensively across the north and south in my time, yet I have never found a single restaurant whose food surpassed the quality here."
"Indeed, to have enjoyed a single meal at Bianyifang means one can leave this life without a single regret."
"If you ask me, the flavors of Bianyifang have already utterly outmatched every culinary master in Jinling."

Having exhausted every single vocabulary word they could conjure to describe deliciousness, the crowd began resorting to comparisons.

Shen Wanshan stood in the corridor, looking out toward the main hall. "My dear son-in-law, how much does a table like this cost right now?"

"Ten taels of silver," Ye Xiu replied with a smile. "Since it's our grand opening, today is free of charge. The honor of your esteemed presences gracing us is the greatest glory our humble shop could ask for."

With matters having reached this point, Ye Xiu no longer needed to worry about a lack of returning customers.

"It offers far more value than its price; ten taels is not expensive at all," Shen Wanshan murmured, pressing his lips together. "Reserve the largest private room for me. I'll take a yearly membership."

"..." Ye Xiu gazed at Shen Wanshan with a complex expression. A yearly membership meant a minimum of twenty taels of silver per day, totaling over seven thousand taels for the year—were you certain about this?

"What?" Shen Wanshan walked downstairs with a smile. "Are you unwelcoming of my yearly subscription?"

"Running a business means keeping our doors open to all; there is no reason to turn away patrons. I am more than happy to have you subscribe for the year, Uncle Shen," Ye Xiu said with a solemn expression. "However, if Uncle Shen is merely here to show support and put on a show for me, I cannot accept. If you genuinely find the food in our establishment delicious to your palate, I will gladly keep the 'Memory of Jiangnan' private room reserved exclusively for you."

At that moment, Wang Xingzhai also appeared at the entrance, looking Ye Xiu up and down. The more he observed the young man, the more satisfied he felt.
Anyone else would have eagerly and joyfully pocketed such a vast sum from their wealthy father-in-law, yet this young man maintained his steadfast principles even in the face of ten thousand taels of silver.

"Naturally, it is because the food is truly delicious. This is a most suitable place for hosting guests and business banquets."

Shen Wanshan patted Ye Xiu on the shoulder and teased him with lingering amusement, "As for what happened before, it was simply my eyes failing to recognize true talent. Pray do not take it to heart—my daughter's legs have long since been fully cured by you!"

"I understand," Ye Xiu nodded. "If you had wished it, there would have been many ways to achieve that."

"Very well, let us speak no more of this." Shen Wanshan drew a stack of silver banknotes from his robe and looked toward Qi Santai with a smile. "Santai, collect the payment. The 'Memory of Jiangnan' room—I am taking it for the first year."

"Patron Shen, what magnificent spirit!"
Qi Santai accepted the banknotes, stepped back into the counter, and began recording the transaction in the ledger.

Not everyone possessed the staggering wealth and extravagance of Shen Wanshan. Consequently, the other guests began inquiring whether there were any banquets available for that very evening.

"For our first day, our preparations of ingredients were insufficient. We will be closing our doors for the day once everyone departs," Qi Santai replied hastily. This was a mutual understanding between him and Ye Xiu; achieving the desired impact was quite enough for now.

"What about tomorrow, then?" asked Abbot Yan Gong. He, too, had relished the meal to an utterly supreme degree.

"We shall resume normal operations starting tomorrow. The main hall will serve three smaller plates and five bowls, priced at five taels of silver, excluding alcohol. The private rooms on the second and third floors will serve six plates and ten bowls, priced at ten taels of silver, excluding alcohol," Qi Santai announced in a clear, resonant voice. "The restaurant accepts reservations up to three days in advance. Once operations are fully on track, we will also provide home-delivery services."

Anyone else might have considered this utterly absurd; by any generous estimate in the entire city of Jinling, the banquets at high-end pleasure houses cost roughly the same. Yet the diners who had actually partaken of the food felt this pricing was fair, reasonable, and offered absolute value far exceeding the cost.

In the blink of an eye, the banquet slots for the next three days were completely booked solid.

At that moment, Wang Xingzhai slowly descended the stairs, and Ye Wuji immediately rose from his seat, yielding his chair to Wang Xingzhai.

"You'an," Wang Xingzhai said, his tone carrying a note of admonition. "Any restaurant worth its salt must innovate its dishes rather than remaining stagnant. What are your intentions regarding the culinary offerings moving forward?"

"Elder Wang," Ye Xiu bowed respectfully. "We have a small, impromptu program prepared next, which represents my future intentions for the restaurant."

"There is a performance as well?" Wang Xingzhai’s eyes flickered with anticipation. "In that case, this old man shall certainly watch closely. When does it begin?"

"It can begin right now."

With those words, Ye Xiu and Zhao Yide stepped up onto the stage.
Dong Ruoshi was already prepared, having retuned her zither strings. She began playing the classical melody *Fisherman's Dialogue on the River* as background music for their performance.

Ye Xiu took a sip of tea to clear and moisten his throat, and then, alongside Zhao Yide, he launched into a traditional crosstalk routine popularized by Master Ma Zhining: *Reciting the Menu*!